Netflix Makes Little, But Huge Change

Netflix has revealed plans to introduce changes to the subscriber experience that may seem like a [...]

By Hunter Miller

Netflix has revealed plans to introduce changes to the subscriber experience that may seem like a tiny detail but will make a massive difference. The streaming service mammoth will be ditching the five-star rating system instead opting for a thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature.

Todd Yellin, the vice president of Netflix, spoke out on the impending changes in a press briefing on Friday, according to The Verge.

"Five stars feels very yesterday now," Yellin said. "We're spending many billions of dollars on the titles we're producing and licensing, and with these big catalogs, that just adds a challenge."

He continued by saying "bubbling up the stuff people actually want to watch is super important."

Netflix didn't just arbitrarily decide to switch things up just to keep its subscribers on their toes. The wildly popular entertainment corporation did thorough beta testing with thousands of new Netflix users around the world.

The study was conducted by making the interface change on some users' account with others staying the same with the five-star rating system. Netflix found that the thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature logged 200% more ratings than the traditional method.

The new changes are expected to be implemented this coming April. Instead of rolling out the alteration gradually in different markets like the company has done with other features, Netflix plans to roll out the thumbs-up/thumbs-down addition globally.

"What's more powerful: you telling me you would give five stars to the documentary about unrest in the Ukraine; that you'd give three stars to the latest Adam Sandler movie; or that you'd watch the Adam Sandler movie 10 times more frequently?" Yellin said. "What you do versus what you say you like are different things."

Another additional feature that Netflix is developing is the company wants to "match" members on a global database as opposed to catering content to local markets.

"We're finding these clusters of people and then we're figuring out who is like you, who enjoys these kinds of things, and then we're mixing and matching those," Yellin said.

Netflix has revealed a slew of innovative new features in development in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the company dished on a new technology that will allow the viewers to interact and even control the TV show or movie they are watching. Learn more here.

Do you prefer the thumbs-up change better than the five-star rating system?

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[H/T The Verge]

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